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​Tonight I'd like to address some of my literary inspirations, especially those who have written werewolf stories. As for those who haven't, I am a longtime fan of the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Richard Matheson, as well as the controversial John Norman, but there are certain werewolf tomes that stand out in my mind as being the pillars on which my book rests.

I am in no way comparing my work to these, or myself to these authors; I simply acknowledge their contributions to the genre in general and to myself as a writer.

First and foremost is the Howling trilogy by Gary Brandner, although I must admit that it was the Joe Dante movie that inspired me most. In fact, it doesn't take much to realize how that film helped mold Canis Sapiens into what it became. In fact, I will readily admit that when I close my eyes, I envision one of my characters to look exactly like a character from that film. Of course, storywise they are not alike, except in a very basic sense.

​For those who like their tales to be epic in nature, S. P. Somtow's Moon Dance is a sprawling adventure spanning generations and incorporating other supernatural elements not usually linked to the werewolf theme. I have always considered it to be the Gone with the Wind of werewolf stories.

The next book is the second installment of a trilogy that is almost entirely unknown. Wake of the Werewolf, by Geoffrey Caine, is sandwiched between a vampire novel and a zombie one, and each one is an iconic, worthy tribute to its corresponding sub-genre.

​Finally, even though Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series was written after I had already composed my first draft, reading it inspired me in a different way. Finding her style to be similar in tone to my own, I felt a strange kinship in this other werewolf-loving contemporary author and felt hopeful that there just might be an audience for my work too.

I encourage others to check out these predecessors, and I thank them for figuratively letting me stand on their shoulders.